Here’s a good way to eat light when your low on time in the city.

Lunchtime had come around and I didn’t want that heaviness in my stomach, always capable of putting me to sleep long before the day is over. Today is a humid one indeed, and it only makes sense to enjoy a light and summer-ish meal. Pret A Manger is a place that I had been wanting to give a whirl for a while, and this was a great opportunity since it was right across the street and just on the corner.

Pret A Manger specializes in organic salads, wraps and sandwiches, all being made and prepared in house on a consistent basis throughout the day in a quick grab and run format similar to a convenience store’s concept, just plus seats and much nicer. However, there is a huge difference here: There are no sell by or use by dates on any item, and if the food has hung around a bit too long during the business day, or isn’t sold by closing, it won’t be sold the next day. No, ma’am, no veggies turning brown here. Instead, even still in good shape, it is donated to charities throughout the city.

Just my luck, I happen to be with my vegetarian friend, Sophie. We take a stroll into Pret A Manger and take a look at the options available to us. There are a decent handful of salad choices and I can’t make up my mind between the albacore tuna Nicoise salad, chicken and avocado salad, shrimp and chorizo salad or Pret’s cobb salad. Sophie, as a vegetarian, will have an even more discerning preference than I, as she decides it’s a wrap she wants. Her best options to choose from were The Greek falafel wrap, avocado pine nut wrap or the crunchy wrap. I ended up selecting the cobb salad (I always like a good one) and Sophie chooses the avocado pine nut wrap.

Pret’s cobb salad includes apple, mesclun, grape tomatoes, antibiotic free grilled chicken, walnuts, cranberries, and blue cheese. Feel good refreshment and flavor without the caloric guilt that isn’t the most desirable feeling when you still have much to accomplish during your day. Sophie’s wrap included avocado, pine nuts, basil, tomato, parmesan, Mediterranean dressing, cucumber, spinach, and their own secret seasoning. She expressed her liking for her lunch pick with a satisfied face, pointing out to me that the pine nuts really mesh with the avocado well. I must say though…I came this close to sneaking a bite of her wrap when she got up to grab some napkins. “You ate my Pret wrap without asking? Friendship, over.” is what she would say.

After the twenty or so minutes between grabbing our meal, paying and eating, it all made sense to me while we walked down K street, as all the suits went marching by. It’s a health conscience outlook while you are still on the go, that being a view of Pret A Manger’s which is changing the face of fast overnight, as we sleep. I came to the understanding that if you’re on the go or late and need a bite to hitch, Pret A Manger’s there, and it’s more than just plain spinach.

You can find out more and discover the closest of the seven Washington D.C. Pret A Manger locations to you by visiting their website at www.pret.com